DR AFSHAN ANJUM BABA & YOUNUS RASHID
It used to be hard walking on snow, and it seemed impossible to walk through snowy forests in extremely cold weather conditions. And for women it was never that easy. But now it has become easy for the female trekkers to explore the faraway meadows of Kashmir in the winter season covered in snow. One such opportunity was provided by the district administration of Kulgam by organizing a snow trek in Aharbal.
The officials of Kulgam revealed that over twenty women registered themselves for one such snow trek organized by the Forest Department in Kulgam. The start of this trek took place during Aharbal Winter Carnival on February 24 which showed how adventurous women have become.
District Administration, Kulgam in collaboration with Forest Department included Snow Trekking as part of winter festivities this year to promote a little known tourist destination-Aharbal also known as Niagara falls of Kashmir.
The forest department shared a Google link for snow trekking on four routes leading to different destinations; Aharbal-Kongwattan route; Hallan-Chiranbal route; Humpathri-Panchanpathri route and Gulzarabad-Badibekh route.
According to official figures, a total number of 522 participants had registered themselves for the activity and among them more than two dozen were females who independently signed up for the activity towards these remote areas for the first time ever.
The majority of trekkers, including experienced ones, registered for the Aharbal to Kongwattan route, totaling 262 participants. This was followed by 161 registrations for the Hallan to Chiranbal route, 59 for Humpathri to Panchanpathri, and 40 for Gulzarabad to Badibekh.
We were also able to go for a snow trek with a group of women for the first time. Some weeks ago, when the first snow fell down, we recorded some videos and took pictures of the forests near our village, which we sent to my friend in Baramulla. The Kulgam administration has declared Aharbal Winter Carnival after little fresh snowfall after days, indicating that prayers have been answered.
There was a link through which one could register for different trekking routes. Absolutely, this was what we had wanted. As such, we decided to trek via Hallan Chiranbal trail immediately which later changed into Aharbal-Kongwattan route.
Following the flag-off ceremony at around 11:30, we left Aharbal. The way to Gurwatan was treacherous and slippery. As we departed from there, the Kulgam Forest Division, which had organized the hike for us, provided hot kehwa and local bread made from maize flour in Gurwatan. But one could hardly walk on the snow covered ledge between Gurwatan and Sangam. Well, what’s an adventure without some discomfort? It taught us that a single wrong move can change everything. During the trek, we realized how important it is to be wary as well as embrace calculated risks.
After a challenging trip, Sangam looked like a place where we got our crowns for some time. We could feel the illusory crown representing our victory and the cheering trees surrounding us. There were traces of light breeze blowing small flakes of snow welcoming us. This reminded me of Robert Frost’s poem “The way a crow shook down on me the dust of snow from a hemlock tree.”
This experience has been indelibly carved into our memories. And here we do acknowledge that without the intervention of the district administration, particularly forest department employees who acted as guides for us it would have been impossible to travel through this much planned manner in the snow. What they have done is deeply appreciated by all of us! We are grateful for this amazing chance and experience!
(Dr. Afshan Anjum Baba is a postdoctoral fellow and is one of the trekkers who accompanied the female trekkers to conquer the snowy trek in Kulgam. And Younus Rashid is a reporter from Rising Kashmir)
